EMSA and ECDC published the first revision of their joint COVID-19 guidance for cruise ship operations, to address the medical and scientific progress in dealing with the pandemic since the first version was published, mainly in the area of testing and vaccination.
The guidance by The European Maritime Safety Agency and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control was initially published in July 2020 and follows a goal-based approach, identifying measures to be taken on ships and ashore. It addresses health-related issues for passengers and crews, as well as on-shore communities, in order to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
The update has been carried out with the goal of keeping the guidance useful, and to better contribute to enhancing the safety of protocols in the cruise industry with the latest information and experience available.
Vaccination
Vaccination of crew members and of passengers joining the ship is recommended as soon as this is feasible In relation to vaccination, on 17 March 2021 the European Commission proposed to create a ‘Digital Green Certificate’ to facilitate safe free movement inside the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ‘Digital Green Certificate’ is designed as a proof that a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19, received a negative test result or recovered from COVID-19. As per current recommendation from ECDC, vaccinated individuals still need to follow the public health measures that apply to everyone else.
Health screening
Health screening protocols should be established based on the reference documents, such as the pre-embarkation COVID-19 questionnaire included in Annex 1 of the Annex in IMO Circular Letter No.4204/Add.3 (2 March 2020)- Operational considerations for managing COVID-19 cases/outbreak on board ships. The company should closely monitor the latest information on effective health screening methods provided by institutions, such as the European Commission, the Flag State, the national authorities in the countries to be visited, the ECDC, IMO and WHO. Health screening protocols should be non-discriminatory.
Accordingly, it is recommended that companies review the occasions and places where health screening should be carried out, from the pre-boarding area to disembarkation, including re-embarkation following an excursion, tour, visit, etc.
Any person first joining the ship (crew member starting a new contract or passengers starting a cruise) should be subject to the protocols established by the company policy and the requirements of the relevant Health, Port and Flag authorities. The possibility to regularly carry out sample health screening of crew and passengers during the time they are on board may also be considered.
Special consideration should be given to the early identification of persons falling within a risk group and the associated measures to be taken in such cases. Finally, it is recommended that a health monitoring system is established onboard and the associated reporting and logging of health-related issues and measures is implemented.
Testing capabilities onboard
Testing capabilities and a testing policy on board should be defined and implemented in agreement with the Flag and local Health authorities of the ports visited.
The limitations in testing capabilities on board should be adequately compensated with agreements with testing laboratories onshore providing an acceptable time frame for obtaining the results.
The type and frequency of the tests should be established in accordance with the latest recommendations by the national health authorities and with due consideration of the actual status of the pandemic and infection rates at the moment of the cruise. It is important that the companies ensure that their protocols are based on the latest reliable and available testing methods.
Use of personal protective equipment
The type of and the occasions when PPE should be used has to be considered in the Plan based on the reference documents. Accordingly, it is recommended that the companies review the occasions and places where the use of PPE is needed, for the protection of both crew and passengers, and define the appropriate type and certification where relevant.
The PPE to be used in the passenger terminal should be coordinated with the relevant Port State authority/entity. It is recommended that companies define what is a sufficient stock of PPE and ensure that it is carried on board, based on their risk assessment, the Plan (including the contingency part), the duration of the voyage and the number of persons onboard.
Cleaning and disinfection
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Companies should review their policy about cleaning and disinfection based on the reference documents. It is recommended that the plan defines for each space of the ship, or space category, the frequency of cleaning and disinfection and the appropriate products and techniques to be used based on its intended use, occupation rate, surface material, furniture, etc.
Special consideration should be given to those spaces, objects and furniture, etc. that can be used/touched by several persons, e.g., public sanitary spaces.
The number of persons dedicated to cleaning and disinfection should be carefully considered based on these factors, as well as their resting times and the increased frequency of cleaning and disinfection. The protection of these crew members should be given special attention, e.g. by specific training and by using the correct PPE.
It is recommended that companies consider the stock of cleaning and disinfection products needed to be carried on board based on the review made.
Persons going ashore and re-embarking
It is recommended that the Plan gives special consideration to the strategy and measures to be implemented for persons going ashore and intending to re-embark. Both crew and passengers should be considered. The cruise company should be in contact with the local public health authorities in the relevant ports to obtain up-to-date information on the level of transmission risk and on what local measures are in place and to communicate this to all persons (passengers and crew) disembarking.
Spaces with special consideration
It is recommended that the Plan considers spaces where some of the measures could be more difficult to implement, such as physical distance, or which require special attention, such as the galley. For those spaces, the Plan should establish, where relevant, tailor-made or alternative measures, e.g., additional PPE, to ensure that the risk of transmission is minimized. These considerations may include the (temporary) closing of spaces if the preventive measures in place are found to be either not feasible or insufficient.
Safety, environment and security related emergency procedures
It is recommended that the company reviews the existing safety, environmental, and security-related emergency procedures, and drills in view of the Plan. For example, the procedure to carry out a passenger evacuation drill could be subject to review to ensure that the physical distance is kept. Where relevant, safe manning levels should be revaluated for carrying out the reviewed emergency procedures.
FIND THE REVISED COVID-19 GUIDANCE HERE
